Chapter 10 Little Fox Fairy

Chapter 10 Little Fox Fairy

Chapter Summary: "Truly insightful and humane!"

Another day of walking upright. After finishing his official duties, by the time he finished his shift at 5:30 pm, Songsong was already suffering from backache, dizziness, and headache.

I haven't seen Yunyun for a day, I wonder what she's been busy with.

As she turned into Zishi Street, Songsong's steps became lighter and lighter as she walked, humming an unknown country tune.

The aromas of food, cooking smoke, and cosmetics... the streets and alleys are filled with a variety of scents, but none of them can stump the fox clan with their amazing sense of smell.

Found it!

Like the delicate fragrance of grass leaves unfurling after a March rain, the fox lowered its eyes and brushed past its nose. With a slight twitch of its nose, the little fox raised its head, saw clearly where its window was, and its fox eyes suddenly curved downwards.

Cherries are sweet, mulberries are refreshing, red beans are sticky, and sesame seeds are fragrant...

Aside from the cooking smoke, the aroma of grass and leaves is faintly mixed with the scents of various foods, and the closer you get to your home, the more distinct the smells become.

Songsong paused, looked up at the window from which steam was billowing out, and frowned.

It's getting late, and Yunyun is still busy in the kitchen.

After staring at the tightly closed gate for a while, the tip of her ear twitched slightly, and Songsong quickly went around to the backyard.

After confirming that no one was around, he transformed into a little fox, licking his hands, which had become paw pads again, with great satisfaction. Then, he braced his two front paws against the flowers and plants, stretched out his body, and gave a long, lazy yawn. After shaking his snow-white fox fur, he sat up, saw the wisps of smoke coming from the chimney, and suddenly leaped onto the windowsill, craning his neck to peer inside.

Four stoves stood close to the window, with iron pots on them, steaming from them. Cherry omelets, mulberry jam, red bean paste, and sesame paste... just the same dishes he had smelled earlier.

Amidst the rich aroma of fruit, Yunyun, her cheeks flushed red from the smoke, paid no heed to the stray hairs falling from her temples beneath her headscarf. Holding a pot lid in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other, she scooped up a spoonful, brought her head close to the iron pot, and carefully took a small sip.

"...Won't it be too sour?"

Tasting the flavor, Yunyun smacked her lips lightly, straightened up, and stared at the bubbling fruit pancake in the pot, talking to herself.

The heat, upon encountering the cool air, condensed into a string of fine water droplets beneath her long eyelashes, reflecting the molten gold of the setting sun behind him, instantly making it translucent and crystalline, like a precious jewel.

The pine tree by the window was mesmerized, its eyes wide open, and it unconsciously wagged its tail.

"Chirp!"

Pan Yue was adjusting the four boilers to a low flame when she heard the sound of small animals making noises, and she subconsciously looked up.

"A little fox?!"

Pan Yue's eyes lit up when she saw the little fox on the windowsill, its tail wagging happily in the twilight. She immediately put the pot lid on, leaned over, picked up the little fox, and sat him on her lap.

"Is it really you?!"

Pan Yue subconsciously looked at the window where the little fox appeared, where the sun was setting and a lone goose flew across the sky. There was nothing else there. Then she looked at the little white fox on her lap with bright, intelligent eyes. She scratched its soft belly, touched the fiery red mark between its eyebrows, and looked around with great joy.

"That day at Jingyang Ridge, I thought it was a hallucination or a dream, but I never imagined it really was you!"

Pan Yue scratched the little fox's head, which it had unconsciously raised, and saw its forelimbs curled up in front of its chest. She leaned closer to take a closer look.

"Your legs hurt from walking such a long way?"

A delicate fragrance wafted past her ear, accompanied by her breath. The little fox relaxed comfortably, listened to Yunyun's words, and instinctively tilted her head back, her eyes bright and clear.

Judging from Yunyun's words, she hasn't recognized him as Songsong yet, and Songsong is him?

Songsong broke free from Yunyun's hand that was pressing on his ear and was about to speak when Yunyun seemed to have discovered something new and interesting. She pressed down on his ear, and when he perked up, she pressed it down again, and so on... Her eyes crinkled with delight.

"They say foxes understand human nature..."

Songsong nestled in her arms, inhaling the pleasant scent of grass, and spread out his belly, letting her "hands over and over" him, and became drowsy for a moment.

Unbeknownst to him, Yunyun rubbed his belly slower and slower, as if she was worried about something, and her tone became more and more somber.

"If there truly is a spirit, then is it a Great Fox Immortal? A Fox Fairy?"

Yunyun suddenly increased the pressure of her rubbing, and said quickly, "Quickly give your sister some advice. What's a good gift for a six-year-old?"

A six-year-old child?

Songsong suddenly perked up his ears and looked up at her.

Just then, the evening sun shone through the west window, illuminating her melancholy eyes. Seeing the sorrow in her eyes, the little fox felt inexplicably displeased.

After tilting its head and thinking for a moment, the little fox stood up, shook its fur, and looked at Yunyun with its head tilted.

When she looked up at him with a puzzled expression, he staggered forward two steps and, imitating the way officials comfort their wives, tilted his head back and touched her beautiful brow with his sharp fox-like kiss, lightly touching it and then licking it.

"Um?"

The damp warmth brushed across her brow, and Pan Yue paused, looking up to see the little fox's bright, expectant eyes. She chuckled.

"Truly intelligent!"

She lifted the little fox high in her arms, as if he were a close friend who could speak human language, buried her face in his soft belly, and spoke with a smile.

"If you want to ask someone for help, especially a big favor that could easily offend someone, you naturally have to cater to their preferences. But Wu Da, Wu Er, and I are just... We went to the market to buy some things and inquired around. Mr. Qingchen is a famous person in Yanggu County, but he is of refined taste and has never liked vulgar things. The only thing he cares about most is probably his precious daughter who is only six years old this year. The couple dotes on their daughter and rarely takes her out. We can't find out what Miss Zhou likes or what she enjoys."

The little fox's ears twitched slightly. Afraid of messing up her hair, it withdrew its instinctively outstretched claws and gently touched her forehead with its little paw pads.

Whether Qingchen Academy's business succeeds or not will have a huge impact on the livelihoods of the three of them. This matter, which Yunyun cares about so much, is naturally what he cares about most.

After tilting his head and thinking for a moment, when Yunyun looked up at him, Songsong tilted his head and turned the forelimb that was reaching for her forehead toward himself.

"Um?"

As if she couldn't believe her eyes, Pan Yue looked at him pointing to her forelimbs, then at his eyes, then at his forelimbs... repeating this several times before bursting out laughing. She hugged him and said, "Give you to her? I can't bear to do that."

Their eyes met, and Yunyun's bright eyes stirred her heart. The fingertips that had been scratching his ears, chin, and stomach seemed to suddenly become scorching hot.

Like the gentle touch of spring grass in early March, a tingling sensation traveled from her fingertips to her heart and then to every part of her body.

The scent of grass and leaves mingled with the rich aroma of fruit, filling the air. The little fox felt stiff all over, its heart pounding, and its mind reeling.

When he came to his senses, Yunyun had already carried him back to the room, washed his limbs, and laid him down on a soft, fragrant pillow.

After washing up, Yunyun also lay down in bed, wrapped one arm around him, propped herself up with the other, lightly touched his brow with her red lips, which seemed to have been marked with cinnabar, and then softly said "goodnight" in an incomprehensible way. She looked back at the spring moon outside the window, a relaxed smile on her face that she had never seen when he was Wu Song. Holding the tip of her tail, she fell into a deep sleep.

Songsong wanted to move but dared not, only slightly shifting in, nestling her head in the soft crook of her neck, gazing up at her sleeping face under the spring moon, a strange joy welling up in her heart...

As dawn broke, the little fox opened its eyes first. It looked at the still peaceful sleeping face, tilted its head and thought for a moment. Then it tilted its head and plucked a large tuft of soft, white fox fur from its tail, gently placed it beside the pillow, and then gently rubbed its face against Yunyun's before reluctantly leaping out the window.

"Ooh ooh ooh!"

A moment later, the sunlight shone through the window, and Pan Yue groggily opened her eyes to the warbling of orioles.

The little fox beside my pillow has long since disappeared.

She sat up, rubbing her sore neck. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the fox fur in the dent of her pillow. She paused, picked up the fur, and examined it in the sunlight. Remembering the little fox's almost human-like reaction the night before, a thought flashed through her mind.

"She really is a little fox spirit who understands human nature..."

The late spring sunshine is just right.

Pan Yue gazed at the fox fur shimmering in the spring sunshine, her clear eyes sparkling.

The next day, Zhou Dao sent a message saying that he had obtained his wife's permission to hold a "steamed cake tasting banquet" proposed by Pan Yue in three days.

Since the summer banquet was not only for Mr. He Qingchen's birthday, but also for the students of the academy, the madam instructed that students would also participate in the tasting banquet.

Having ascertained the tastes of the lady and the scholars, Pan Yue breathed a sigh of relief. For the next two days, she didn't leave the kitchen, drawing upon her past life's knowledge and painstakingly preparing a variety of fillings, some sweet and sour, others savory and delicate. Following the habits of scholars, she also improved the "unpalatable" steamed buns, shaping them into books, scrolls, inkstones, and other forms before finally cooking them…

Three days later, the tasting banquet will take place.

On a warm spring afternoon, Pan Yue and Wu Dalang carried freshly baked steamed buns with various fillings, walked through Yanggu Street, and knocked on the door of Qingchen Academy in the south of the city.

After an incense stick has burned, at Qingchen Academy, in the Chunhui Hall.

"...Still steaming hot, so fresh!"

"Brother Lin, come and take a look! This peony-patterned steamed bun, I wonder what the filling is, the pattern is so lifelike!"

"Indeed, I've never seen it before..."

Wang Bo, the person in charge, welcomed the two inside, where Zhou Daozao waited quietly.

Following Wang Bo's instructions, Pan Yue and her companion arranged the different flavors and styles of steamed buns on the long table in the center.

As soon as the person stepped back to the wall, the students who had been invited to the banquet heard the noise and rushed in, vying to come forward.

Elegant tea snacks are common, but exquisite steamed buns are rare.

The "tea and fruit" on the table were both elegant and affordable, which surprised the students. They looked around and discussed among themselves, with smiles on their faces, as if they were eager to try it.

Pan Yue let out a silent sigh.

Fine dishes should be appealing in color, aroma, and taste. Judging from the students' reactions, they've already passed the "color" test!

She turned to Zhou Dao, intending to ask him for the time to start the banquet, when suddenly she heard a "cough" and the sound of shuffling footsteps came from the veranda, which was bathed in the spring sunshine.

The students in the hall looked at each other, and as their eyes met, they all lowered their heads. Some even turned pale and trembled uncontrollably.

Pan Yue frowned subconsciously.

"What kind of filthy creature dares to enter the gates of my Qingchen Academy!"

A loud shout came from under the eaves. Pan Yue looked up with a sullen face.

They were three students from the academy, wearing sashes askew and open collars, their shoes slopping, swaggering and arrogant, acting as if they were the masters of the place.

School bully!

Pan Yue's face darkened as Fan Cheng's words from the past came to mind.